The Edinburgh Festival and Fringe program are out now. Coinciding with this, I had an interview with Three Weeks to do some reviews for them in August, and with the Big Issue Scotland to get a crew together to cover the Amnesty International Human Rights Festival. It’s all volunteering though. Which I don’t mind but for the lack of money. But at least the power balance of worker and boss is nicely egalitarian. I particularly like the more non-commercial festivals, like described in previous year’s blog entry: “Edinburgh Festival for free”. Word Power, the best bookshop in Edinburgh/Scotland/Britain, is launching this year its own little festival contribution.

The weather here is unfortunately grey, rainy and cold as ever. Phoned my parents and they have got sunny hot weather with about 30 degrees and Daddy is swimming in the huge open-air public swimming pool nearly every day. They had a day out with their Square Dance Club last weekend, and my mum told me about the boat trip and tourist events they organized. _“But Mum, “_I asked, “didn’t you do any Square Dance?” “Of course we did!” she replied proudly. “When we had about half an hour waiting time in between trains, we danced on the platform in the train station.

here are three more interviews about the anti-G8 protests. One is with Marion Hamm, academic from the University of Luzern in Switzerland, another interview is with Claire, a christian protester from Belfast and the last is with Micah, anticapitalist protester on holiday. Claire, christian G8-protester, ogg-vorbis Claire, christian G8-protester, mp3 Marion Hamm, academic, ogg-vorbis, ca. 7min Marion Hamm, academic, mp3, ca. 7min Micah, anticapitalist, ogg-vorbis, ca 4.51 min Micah, anticapitalist, mp3, ca. 4.47min Here is some English audio up at Flash Radio: http://flashradio.wordpress.com/ More audio, especially German, is up at this non-commercial = community radio website at: http://www.freie-radios.net/portal/index.php G8 TV:

When returning back home, a pleasant surprise was waiting for me: £40 in gardening vouchers for writing a “star letter” to the Amateur Gardening magazine. Wow! I went out at once and got some necessities for the allotment, a weed incinerator, which more or less looks like a metal rubbish bin with holes at the bottom and a chimney on top, and an insect house to encourage wildlife like bumblebees, ladybirds and other beneficial insects to stay close to my plot. Also, a little bird feeder which is filled with water, so that insects and birds can have a drink, as lots of the flies were recently drowning in my nettle brew, which is supposed to be a DIY liquid fertiliser.

So, we are now back in grey and rainy old Scotland, washing the mountains of dirty clothes and reflecting on the protests at the G8. I am working on my interviews now, and here are the first Vox Pops of some protesters chilling out at Camp Reddelich on Friday. VOX POPS PODCAST: German only: Das Schoenste Erlebnis waehrend des G8 Gipfels 3.57 min, mp3 German and English: Was war Dein bestes Erlebnis waehrend des G8 Gipfels? 10.39 min, mp3 English: What was your best experience during the G8 protest week? mp3 (also on Indy UK) English: What was your best experience during the G8 protest week?